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Lt Joel Hartmeister, B-25 Pilot, 321st BG, 445th BS MTO

1943
—Italy

Joel was a B-25 Combat Pilot in the B-25 Mitchell Medium Bomber in the 321st Bomb Group, 445th Bomb Squad in the Mediterranean Theatre during WWII. This was the 20th Combat Mission for this B-25 #42-64590, Lt Hartmeister and his Ship and Crew were SHOT-DOWN in the Adriatic Sea on 8 Oct. 1943, flying Combat against the AXIS Powers. Mission, the Airdrome on the mainland of Greece. (Air Offensive Balkans)

A/C No. 42-64590 (MACR-1307 missing crews – at sea) 8 Oct. 1943/42-64590 arrived in July 43 and it was on its 20th mission when it went down on 8 Oct 43.

OSS/SO operatives that had been stationed in various parts of Greece throughout 1944 confirmed assessments repeatedly in their final reports to Cairo....

Lt. Joel Hartmeister, was a former airman shot down over Greece and recruited into the OSS by Woodhouse and Wines, eventually ended up working as the American liaison in western Thessaly. In his final report he questioned the Allied wartime commitment to EAM/ELAS. "My feelings are that we have created a more or less Frankenstein monster in Greece which will make demands and be difficult to bargain with in the future. The guns and ammunition that has [sic] been supplied to the andartes [guerillas] will never be given over to any other force."

Joel Hartmeister

1970
—Phoenix, AZ

Joel was born in Ohio and lived in Wyoming, but he spent part of the year in Phoenix, AZ. Crew Chief Fred Lawrence visited him there a few times and Fred said that Joel made some great stew! He also said that Joel was into Antiques and he had one spectacular thing Fred admired, a small tool chest with old tools in it.

I believe Fred said that Joel was an Architect. (conversation in 2009)